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Kauai featured in major movies

With the recent release of The Descendants, starring George Clooney,in theaters nationwide, the beautiful Garden Island of Kaua’i has now had a starring role infour major movies in 2011.

Earlier this year, Kaua’i’s sunny weather, spectacular natural beauty, and pristinebeaches were also prominently featured in the summer blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, starring Johnny Depp, Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler and JenniferAniston, and Soul Surfer, the inspiring story of surfer Bethany Hamilton.

“We’re truly honored the producers of these four movies found Kaua’i’s abundanttropical beauty and scenic vistas to be essential in telling their stories,” said Sue Kanoho,executive director of the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau. “Movie fans are seeing again and again why avisit to Kaua’i is such an enjoyable and rejuvenating experience.”

As with the other three movies filmed on Kaua’i this year, The Descendants is expectedto be released in theaters internationally, shown on pay-per-view TV, and released on DVDand Blu-ray, furthering the exposure of Kaua’i’s allure to audiences worldwide.Kaua’i is a veteran “performer” for Hollywood having served as a location site for morethan 60 major movies and TV shows, including favorites like South Pacific; Blue Hawaii; Raiders of the Lost Ark; Jurassic Park; The Thorn Birds; Six Days, Seven Nights; Tropic Thunder; and Avatar.

“Film production crews always enjoy working on Kaua’i and we love having themcome to our island home for location shoots,” said Kanoho. “Our people are great aboutmaking the crews feel welcome, respecting their privacy, and letting Kaua’i be a wonderfulexperience while they are working away from home.”Kaua’i’s nickname as the Garden Island helps explain its appeal to filmmakers – andtravelers. The island is green and flourishing with lush flora running from its mountains to thesea, yet Kaua’i also offers more than 50 miles of white-sand beaches – more beach per milethan any other island in Hawai’i.Kaua’i offers visitors one natural wonder after another to admire. Two of the most wellknown are the Npali Coast, with its towering cliffs overlooking the northwest shoreline, andmajestic Waimea Canyon, known as “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”For more information about Kaua’i – Hawai’i’s Island of Discovery – please visitwww.kauaidiscovery.com or call the Kaua’i Visitors Bureau toll-free at (800) 262-1400. FollowKaua’i via Twitter (@kauaidiscovery) and as a fan on Facebook (Kauai Visitors Bureau).-moreBeautifulKaua’i Starred in Four Major Movies in 2011Page 2The Kaua’i Visitors Bureau is a division of the Hawai’i Visitors and ConventionBureau, which is contracted by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority (HTA), the State of Hawai’i’stourism agency, for marketing management services in North America. The HTA wasestablished in 1998 to ensure a successful visitor industry well into the future. Its mission is tostrategically manage Hawai’i tourism in a sustainable manner consistent with the state ofHawai’i’s economic goals, cultural values, preservation of natural resources, communitydesires, and visitor industry needs.